New Year Resolutions 新年決心
When the new year arrives, it is quite common for Americans to make new year’s “resolutions,” promising themselves to do things differently in the new year and to improve their lives.
每當新年到來時，美國人常會制定新年「決心」，向自己承諾在新的一年裡做出不同的改變，以改善自己的生活。Each year, the “media” (outlets for news, such as newspapers) publish lists of the most popular American new year’s resolutions. These are “consistently” (always; commonly) on that list:
每年，「媒體」（如報紙等新聞媒體）都會發布美國人最受歡迎的新年決心清單。這些決心通常會出現在清單上：
• lose weight 減肥
• pay off “debt” (money you owe to others) 還清「債務」（欠他人的錢）
• save money 存錢
• get a better job 找一份更好的工作
• get fit (good physical shape) 鍛煉身體（保持身體健康）
• “eat right” (eat healthy foods) 「健康飲食」（吃健康食物）
• get a better education 接受更好的教育
• drink less alcohol 少喝酒
• quit smoking 戒菸
• reduce “stress” (strong feelings of worry) overall 整體上減少「壓力」（強烈的焦慮感）
• reduce stress at work 減少工作壓力
• take a trip 旅行
• “volunteer to help others” (work to help others without getting paid)「志願幫助他人」（無償為他人工作）
While many people make new year resolutions, few people keep them. In one 2007 research study involving 3,000 people, nearly 90% of those who made a new year resolution “failed” (did not succeed). This is especially surprising because over 50% of the “participants” (people in the study) felt confident that would succeed when the study began.
雖然許多人制定新年決心，但能夠堅持下去的人卻很少。在2007年的一項涉及3,000人的研究中，近90%制定新年決心的人「失敗」了（未能成功）。這尤其令人驚訝，因為超過50%的「參與者」（研究中的人）在研究開始時對自己能夠成功感到有信心。
重要單字
- resolution /ˌrɛzəˈluːʃən/ — 決心
- media /ˈmiːdiə/ — 媒體
- debt /dɛt/ — 債務
- get fit /ɡɛt fɪt/ — 鍛煉身體
- eat right /it raɪt/ — 健康飲食
- stress /strɛs/ — 壓力
- volunteer to help others /ˌvɒlənˈtɪr tu hɛlp ˈʌðərz/ — 志願幫助他人
- participant /pɑːrˈtɪsɪpənt/ — 參與者
- failed /feɪld/ — 失敗
